CORINTH, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont Attorney General's office says police were justified in fatally shooting a mentally ill man during a 2006 confrontation, even if he did not grab his gun.
The office filed court paperwork in response to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Joseph Fortunati of Corinth.
The Fortunatis said police gave differing accounts about whether Fortunati had a gun, and if he did so, whether he aimed it.
Police say Fortunati ignored repeated commands to surrender and that officers believed they were in danger.
The Valley News reports the family has asked a panel of judges in New York to overturn a Vermont judge's ruling and allow a jury trial on the claims that police illegally shot Fortunati and then covered up their actions.
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